


Another Good Ending

by erpprincess



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-11-02 04:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20619656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erpprincess/pseuds/erpprincess
Summary: A Han Jumin Good Ending other than the actual one, in which he doesn't meet MC until the party, and it turns out there's a reason she's really good at handling guests... and it's not a walkthrough!





	Another Good Ending

The party was in full swing. Guests had been arriving steadily for the past thirty minutes, and Jaehee had marked off nearly everyone on the guest list. Only a few guests were absent, but more notably, one of the RFA members had yet to arrive.

It was unlike Jumin to be late. _No_, thought Jaehee, _he's not actually late yet_. Still, he was always very punctual, often arriving early to collect his thoughts before focusing on the meeting or task at hand.

Jaehee, unoccupied for the moment, turned her attention towards the gathering. Guests and RFA members alike were chatting, enjoying hors d'oeuvres and wine, and generally having a good time. Yoosung was in a serious discussion with his LOLOL contacts, Zen was being swarmed by women asking questions or wanting to take photos, and Seven was accompanying MC as she greeted the guests she had been corresponding with over the last week. He had initially been there to support her in a new setting, but she seemed perfectly comfortable and capable.

"Ah, Assistant Kang. The party is going well, I presume." Jumin slid off his jacket and handed it to the coat checker, adjusting his sleeves as he took the guest list from her hands.

"Yes, Mr. Han. Only a couple of guests have yet to arrive, but all of the RFA members are inside." Jaehee was used to Jumin taking paperwork from her, and just as used to him handing it back without waiting to see if she had a hold on it first. She set the list back on the podium.

"Excellent." Jumin continued into the ballroom proper where the guests were talking amongst themselves. He rolled his eyes at the large crowd gathered around Zen, and sighed when he noticed Yoosung and what could only be another gamer sitting at one of the tables making some kind of notes. He spotted V speaking with his photographer friend, Rui, and headed over after picking up a few glasses of wine.

"Jumin, you're here."

"Of course. V, you must try this wine. I selected it personally on my last visit." He offered the two extra glasses to V and Rui.

"Mmm, this is simply delicious!" exclaimed Rui. "A portrait of flavor."

"You always had a nose for wine, even before you should have," V said, smiling at his friend.

He continued small talk with V until his attention was pulled to Seven's laughter. He was showing something on his phone to a woman Jumin didn't recognize. That he didn't know her wasn't surprising; with all the new guests, he hadn't met half of the people in the room. The surprise was how friendly they seemed with each other, and at how beautiful she was. Her dress was a dark evergreen, cut simply but elegantly with embroidered ivy running up one side and across her chest like a sash. It continued over her left shoulder, leaving the right one bare. Despite the skin showing, it was a modest cut overall, revealing little more than her neck and arms. Her light brown hair was done up in braids peppered with small flowers, though a few stray curls had escaped and were now framing her slightly angular face.

Seven didn't have friends outside of the RFA due to his work, but his hand was resting gently on her bare shoulder, and she was leaning towards him to better see the small screen. It was clear they knew one another prior to the party.

_Not _outside_ the RFA_, thought Jumin. Without a word to V, he approached the pair who were trying very hard to stifle more laughter unbefitting of a charity party.

"Ah, halloooo, Mr. Chairman-to-be," Seven greeted, keeping with his usual playful manner.

"Yes, hello, Luciel. And this is?" Jumin extended his hand towards the woman.

"Oh! Of course, you don't know! Only God Seven knows because he was watching out for her on CCTV! Ahem!" Seven pretended to clear his throat as MC rolled her eyes. "This lovely maiden is none other than the newest Guest Coordinator for the RFA, MC!"

She smiled as she shook his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Jumin."

He was flustered. All the conversations they had, the chat rooms, the texts, the phone calls, nothing had prepared him for the lump in his throat or the butterflies in his stomach at seeing her smile at him face to face. It was the smile he imagined in her supportive messages to Jaehee, when she cheered for Zen's career, when she encouraged Yoosung to study, and when she played along with Seven's jokes. It was the smile he heard when she greeted him in the morning and when she wished him good night.

Pull yourself together, he told himself. You are not your father. You don't lose your senses when a beautiful woman speaks to you. "The pleasure is mine. I am embarrassed I did not recognize you, but I suppose that would have been impossible, as I've never seen a picture of you. Can I get you another drink?"

"That would be lovely, thank you." She smiled again and Seven whistled. She elbowed him in the side. When Jumin returned, MC had been approached by a distinguished Japanese gentleman and a woman who looked to be his assistant. To his surprise, he couldn't understand a word of their conversation.

"Oh, thank you," MC said as she took the wine glass from Jumin. "This is Suzuki Toshi, the owner of Suzuki Sake Company." Then, to the Japanese gentleman, she said, "Suzuki-san, _shokai sa sete_ Han Jumin, C&R _no_ Director." She put a hand gently on Jumin's back and bowed, encouraging Jumin to do the same.

He did so, managing to hold his surprise. She exchanged a bit more conversation with Suzuki before the man bowed and left. "You continue to surprise me, MC. He looked a bit unhappy, but he left with a smile. What did you discuss?"

"Oh, he said that he was disappointed that we had such a wide selection of wine, but not of sake. I reminded him that just as there are many kinds of sake for individual tastes, there are many kinds of wine as well, and encouraged him to sample the many kinds of wine available until he found one that suited him." She hid a sly smile by taking a drink of the rosé that Jumin had brought earlier.

"You found a common interest, incited curiosity, and managed to make him think finding a wine that suits him was a priority. You're very clever." Color him impressed.

"And I bet you a three-star dinner that the wine owner also leaves happy having sold multiple bottles to a single guest."

"I... that's a very good point." He took another sip of his wine to allow his brain to catch up.

An elderly woman approached them now, her attire giving her away to MC immediately. "_Bonjour, Madame_ Delphine. _Comment ça va ce soir_?" MC asked in perfect French.

"_Ah, Mademoiselle_ MC! _Je suis très bonne! La fete est parfait,_" the woman replied with a smile and a grand sweep of her arms.

MC introduced the madam to Jumin, and translated a bit of conversation between the two of them regarding wine. Madame Delphine had been one of MC's contacts from a previous job in Paris years ago. The woman loved to travel, particularly when parties were involved.

When she left, Jumin was even more speechless. "You really are the perfect fit for the RFA. How did you get so good at handling people? You seem like a natural."

MC took the last sip of her wine and pondered a moment. "I wasn't born into the elite class like you, but I understood the importance of the business that goes on at this level. I found a way to contribute how I could. I've always been fascinated with culture and language, and studied it as a hobby for years until I realized I could turn it into a career. I couldn't afford to travel the world and experience those culture on my own, so I made myself available to businessmen like you as a translator and guide."

_Her ambition is admirable_, Jumin thought. _She clearly has a talent for language, and she must have studied business to be able to interact with clients this way._

"Can I ask a personal question, MC?"

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

"How many languages do you speak?"

"That doesn't seem personal, but," she paused to think. "Nine fluently, and enough to get by in a few others." She turned a bit to wave at Zen, who was still surrounded by fans, but finally got a chance to get a drink and catch her attention.

Jumin continued, "Then how is it that no company has put you on retainer? How has it that no one has tried to keep you to--" He stopped himself, realizing that was over the line.

"Hm? Why hasn't someone tried to keep me?"

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. My apologies. It's just that you're smart, confident, and insightful. A man would be lucky even to have your eye for a moment." _I already considered myself lucky to know you, and now you're exceeding my expectations all over again._

She smiled that warm smile that reminded him just how much she understood him. "Powerful men fear women who are smart, confident, and insightful. Women like Glam Choi are clever as well, but they hide behind masks of charm and sweet words. They use it to swindle powerful men into their beds and out of their fortunes. I simply don't care to play their game. I only wish to enjoy my job, and I do. What would I have to gain by hiding my abilities?"

_Once again_, thought Jumin, _she has the perfect answer._

"To be honest," she continued, a bit softer. "I don't know how I'd respond even if someone were interested."

This surprised him a bit. It worried him a bit, too, knowing the train of thought his mind had been on previously.

"Anyone in the business world would likely, as you said, be looking to capitalize on my skills and consider me little more than a company asset. Yet, if I were to find someone different, a commoner, as you would call it, then I would feel pressured to give up my career. Relationships fall apart when one person is away as often as I am. Still, it does get a bit lonely at times without someone to share my trips with. Despite the circumstances, I'm thankful to have found the RFA. It hasn't been long, but it already feels like a family, and I dread the day I will have to say goodbye."

"Why would you need to say goodbye?" Forget surprised. The thought of MC leaving the RFA permanently made his heart break.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm not Korean. I had a contact job here, but decided to extend my stay when the contract ended. Eventually I'll return home. Actually, I haven't told any of the other members yet. I don't know if V will let someone coordinate parties remotely. Well, more remotely than I already have been. I don't want to leave, but I can't stay here when my client base is in halfway across the world, and I would feel guilty staying in Rika's apartment longer than necessary."

"MC." It came out a bit more forceful than he intended, but he'd be lying if he said the intent wasn't there. She turned to him, nonplussed by his tone, eyes wide and questioning. Eyes that seemed to draw him in, intense and gentle, the grey-blue color of the sky after a storm, reminding him every second that she was a foreigner and would eventually return home. "You... like it here, yes?" He had to be careful with his wording. He had come to realize recently that he was often too forceful with his questions or orders.

"Of course I do. Everyone in the RFA has been generous and friendly. I've come to care about all of you deeply." She crossed her arms in front of her, holding her elbows and glancing around the ballroom.

_She's nervous. Do something._ "Would you mind joining me for a moment?" He offered his arm to escort her to one of the tables set up around the outside of the room. She accepted, and he led her to one away from the crowds.

"MC, as we've all said before, the only reason we are able to hold these parties again is because of you. If there was any doubt about your ability to fill Rika's role, I assure you it's been put to rest after seeing the guests here tonight."

"I'm thankful for the opportunity, but--"

"I'm not done. In a week's time, you've not only managed to make this party a success, but you've planted a seed in each of our hearts. You may not believe my words, since I am not one to speak of emotions, but it's clear you've become irreplaceable to us, as the RFA and as your friends."

"But, Jumin, I..."

"I'm not great at putting words to my feelings, so I will just say it. I cherish you. Not only your intellect, but your heart, your kindness, and your beauty. I open the messenger looking for you specifically, and it's only your voice that calms me during my busy week. And now that I've met you in person, I'm not ready to give you up yet."

MC was taken aback by his sudden declaration, but she couldn't say she didn't expect it. The whole of the RFA knew how he felt about her even before Jumin himself realized it; but, as promised, she would be patient and let him work out his own answer rather than telling him what to feel.

"Jumin, I..." Then unexpectedly, she laughed. "I'm so relieved to hear you say that. I was already looking for potential work so that I could afford to stay longer, but I wasn't sure when you'd realize..." She stood, taking a step around the table so that she was right next to Jumin. She leaned down, placing her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. It was a short kiss, sweet but intimate.

"I love you, too."


End file.
